Interesting Facts About the Leatherback Sea Turtle

Females lay eggs, bury them and then leave.

The leatherback, Dermochelys coriacea, is one of several types of sea turtles. The Federal Register classified them as endangered on June 2, 1970. According to National Geographic (NG), in 1988 a male measuring 8.5 feet that washed up in Wales is the biggest recorded. Predominately pelagic, they live mostly in the open ocean.

Size

Leatherbacks, the largest of all living sea turtles, can weigh over 2,000 pounds and grow over seven feet long, according to NG. The average turtles are 250 to 900 pounds and four to six feet long. Males and females are about the same size.

Physical Features

Unlike most turtles, which have hard shells, leatherbacks have flexible shells made up of bones and rubbery skin. The upper shell has ridges that improve swimming efficiency. Adults have a pink spot on top of their heads. Their flipper-like legs do not have claws. According to NG, leatherbacks can dive deeper than any other turtles, up to 4,200 feet. They can stay underwater almost one and a half hours.

Lifespan

In captivity, the leatherback's average lifespan is 30 years. National Geographic notes that in the wild they may live up to 45 years, but only an estimated 0.1 percent of hatchlings survive.

Geography

Leatherback sea turtles swim in all oceans except the Antarctic and Arctic, according to NG, making them the widest spread reptile species. They adjust to broad range of water temperatures through body size, fat layers and other physical abilities that keep body heat stable. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FSW), nesting sites in the United States include Florida's east coast, the U.S. Virgin Islands' Sandy Point and Puerto Rico.

Reproduction

Only leatherback females come out of the water, according to the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology (UMMZ). They lay eggs on tropical or subtropical (Florida) beaches. Mating occurs in the water. After 55 to 75 days, about half of the eggs hatch in an undisturbed nest. Colder temperature creates males--83.75 degrees Fahrenheit--and warmer--85.55 Fahrenheit--create female turtles, according to UMMZ. Approximately 85.1 degrees Fahrenheit produces both sexes. They lay five to seven nests, about nine days apart, every two to three years. According to the FSW, they probably take six to ten years to mature enough to mate. Leatherbacks migrate almost 4,000 miles from their feeding to breeding location, reports NG.

Food

Jellyfish are the main diet of leatherbacks.

Leatherbacks are carnivores. Their diet includes jellyfish, squid, sea urchins, fish and crustaceans. They also feed on blue-green algae and seaweed, according to FSW.

Preservation

According to FSW, there were about 115,000 nesting females in 1980 and fewer than 43,000 in 2009. Mexico, which had about 65 percent of all leatherbacks, has approximately one percent of the turtles it had in 1980, according to FSW. The population decrease is due to people taking eggs, killing turtles for meat and destruction of nesting sites. Pollution, predators and land development also play a role, according to FSW. Predators of the leatherback and its eggs include humans, monitor lizards, dogs, mongooses, pigs, killer whales, raccoons and requiem sharks, according to UMMZ. Stopping turtle hunting, taking eggs and destruction of nesting sites are primary ways to help population growth. Decreasing pollution, changing commercial fishing practices such as netting and control of nonnative predators are beneficial.

References

• National Geographic: Leatherback Sea Turtles
• U. S. Fish and Wildlife Services: Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys Coriacea) Fact Sheet
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: ADW: Dermochelys coriacea: Information

Resources

• National Geographic Kids: Leatherback Sea Turtle: Photos, Video, Facts, E-card, Map
• U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Quick Facts on Federally-listed Sea Turtles
• World Wildlife Federation: Leatherback Turtle